Let me start off by saying this: I have historically been a terrible golfer.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way…
Except for the last few days when I’ve been away at my daughter’s wedding, I have been diligently working on my golf game. Day after day, I “did the work,” grinding out bucket after bucket of practice balls on the range, the green, and/or out on the course.
Why?
At 6’6″ and 58 years old, I am not going pro anytime soon. But, having chased the little white ball for decades, I decided it was time to up my game and accept the challenge of my golf pro friend Randy Grills who asked, “Are you willing to put in the time?” and then added, “You need to put in 20 hours of time on the range.”
So, I did.
In what might seem like a “Captain Obvious” observation, my game steadily improved. Then two Saturdays ago I did two things I’ve never done before:
1. I parred four holes in a row, and
2. Two of those holes were my nemesis, the dreaded #5 and #6 at the Duxbury Yacht Club.
So what? you say.
You might scoff at this, but it’s not easy to get out every day and practice. It’s frustrating and physically grueling, not to mention and often unwelcome interruption of the sales day. Plus, I sucked day after day. But after weeks of not seeing improvement, hundreds of balls, and two lessons, I suddenly started “pure-ing” my irons and what was once foreign is now a habit.
All the while I was putting in the time, I was feeling a strong correlation to sales itself. I am not a natural born golfer, nor an athlete. Any success I have is going to be through effort. Most of us are not natural born salespeople. Therefore, success can only come through three things:
1. Diligence
2. Diligence
3. Pleasant persistence.
There are two things I can promise you. First, I will never be a great golfer (although “good” is within reach now). Second, if you “do the work” as a salesperson— grinding out call after call, day after day— you will become a better salesperson through determination, consistency, and sheer will. It all comes down to this: “Are you willing to put in the time?”
You’re on ‘er, Your Honor.
